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The Woman With the Alabaster Jar

Do you know Magdalene?

I just finished a Bible study on the life (and times) of Mary Magdalene—who is a Saint, by the way. Saint Mary Magdalene is named after Magdala, the village on the Sea of Galilee where she came from. Because so many women were named Mary (and still are), Mary Magdalene was known by the town where she grew up.  She seems to have been financially independent and well-educated. I think she is one of the most mysterious and extraordinary women in history.

If you are not Christian, you may not know about this woman who is mentioned eleven times in the Bible. That fact is pretty significant, because she is mentioned more than Jesus’ mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and more than any of the apostles. Everyone from Gospel accounts, to priests, popes, scholars and novelists elaborate on and revise renditions of who Mary Magdalene was and who she was to Jesus. Was Magdalene a prostitute, a wealthy aristocrat, a follower of Jesus, a trusted companion or his wife, the leader of the women who followed Jesus, a repentant sinner, the first contemplative, or someone else? Maybe some or all of these ideations is the truth.

What we do know, is that Magdalene was beautiful and wealthy and a friend of the wife of Herod’s steward. She may have received a Greek education. And like Cleopatra, Magdalene would use her wealth and beauty to get what she wanted.

Who is Mary Magdalene and why is she so important?

Magdalene was the woman who was tormented by seven demons. Jesus cast out those seven demons. For some the number seven is significant in that it measures the severity of her illness.  Her demons may have been the mystical creatures of mayhem or they may refer to the variety of illnesses with which she was afflicted.  Davidson’s book suggests that Magdalene was cured of internal demons that gave her a deep interior darkness, like an oppression of the soul and “overwhelming inclinations of self-annihilation which frightened & disturbed her”. She lived a life of corruption and excess which may have led to physical ailments and the label of prostitute.

Magdalene was so grateful for her healing that she became a leading follower of Jesus Christ.  There were hundreds, maybe thousands who followed Jesus, but only a few are named —because they are important. We hear of the twelve apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus, and only a few others, Mary Magdalene among them.

Magdalene, Jesus’ mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and several other well-to-do women who had all been cured of some ailment or another by Jesus, became the group of women who supported Jesus and the apostles with financial resources and time commitment. Several sources give evidence that Magdalene was the leader of the group of women.

Magdalene became the embodiment of Christian Devotion

She created quite a stir on two occasions:

First, in the Gospel of Luke Magdalene, is identified as the sinner who bathes Jesus’s feet with her tears, dries them with her hair and puts ointment on them. (Luke 7:37-38). Davidson says that Magdalene’s act was to repair an insult of the host who did not wash the feet of his (most prominent) guest and to proclaim that Jesus in divine. Other accounts say this is her penitence and gratitude for Jesus healing her.

Second, at Bethany, she used the alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ head and feet, again weeping, kissing his feet and wiping them with her hair. On this occasion she caused quite a stir with her ardent devotion.

All four gospels tell of the woman and her alabaster jar, but Luke clearly sees the erotic overtones of a woman loosening her hair, which would have only been done in a more private setting.  Her intimate act made the others in attendance uncomfortable. Yet in Luke, the woman’s tears together with Jesus’ words that she is forgiven, define the encounter as an act of repentance.  (see: Smithsonian article)

The accounts in Matthew and Mark say that incident made some apostles concerned about the great expense of the perfume or ointment (pure nard) that she used. Indeed, Magdalene is identified by the alabaster jar. Witnessing this also signaled a turning point for Judas who is so angered by the squandering of money that he leaves the gathering, going directly to the priests to betray Jesus.

The importance of the alabaster jar:

Mary broke her Alabaster box to help Jesus, that she was taunted for it, for what was inside was so valuable that you weren’t supposed to just use in on an everyday Joe.” ~ (From annalwis614 article)

First, the jar may have been a box. It is called a jar, a flask, a box, a chest and a vessel—depending on the source and would have been expensive no matter what it was called. It was made from marble stone, which would have been heavy. Its translucency and luster made it beautiful, as well.

The jar is said to have been filled with Nard, also called Spikenard, which is a class of aromatic amber-colored essential oil derived from Nardostachys jatamansi, from a plant in the honeysuckle family. It has an earthy musky scent and is a highly prized essential oil. The flowering plant that produces this oil grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China and India so would have been very expensive to obtain. The essential oil of Nard is said to have a calming effect and is often used in alternative medicine to alleviate anxiety, stress, and insomnia.

During Biblical times, when a young woman was at the age to marry, her family would purchase an Alabaster Box and fill it with ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment was to display the amount of wealth her family had acquired. When a man asked the young woman to marry him, she would accept by breaking this precious box at his feet. The expensive ointment at his feet was meant to show him honor. (Let us remember that Magdalene came from a wealthy family.) Hence, when Magdalene broke her Alabaster jar at the feet of Jesus, she was showing him honor. (from, “Lady in Waiting Becoming God’s Best While Waiting for Mr. Right.”)

It was also Jewish custom to use this box for those who were condemned to death by crucifixion. But it was neither the Alabaster box nor its ointment that mattered in this story. Magdalene used the ointment to soothe Jesus and minister to him. And her actions prepared Jesus’ body for burial even before he was crucified. The significance of Magdalene using nard is that it is one of the special oils and spices used for preparing bodies for burial. Some accounts say she understood that Jesus would be killed. This anointing is specifically referred to as the traditional rubbing of a corpse with oil, so the act is an explicit foreshadowing of Jesus’ death. (from Matthew’s account.)

            An aside here: It has never occurred to me that Jesus might have needed someone to minister to him, that he had physical needs (aside from hunger and rest). Magdalene provides something to Jesus that the apostles did not even think about. She moves us beyond our egocentric prayers of need to the idea of giving something back to Jesus.

Mary of Magdala was one of the women who stayed with Jesus, even to the Crucifixion. Each of the four Gospel accounts of the crucifixion show Magdalene at the foot of the cross  with Jesus’ mother Mary and some other women. “Matthew 26:56 makes the point that all the male disciples deserted Jesus and fled for their lives. But the women remained, standing as near as they dared. ‘ (From Women in the Bible article)

Magdalene was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection and the first to preach the “Good News” of that miracle. She is called ‘Apostle to the Apostles’, because the risen Jesus told her to ‘go and tell’ the others that he was risen.  She is also considered the ‘Apostle to the Apostles’ because of the things she revealed to the twelve after the resurrection of Jesus. Several accounts, including the Gospel of Mary, have Magdalene teaching the apostles after the resurrection of Jesus. 

Indeed, her status as an “apostle,” in the years after Jesus’ death, rivaled even that of Peter.

Peter’s preeminence is elsewhere taken for granted (in Matthew, Jesus says, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church”). Yet in the Gospel of Mary he defers to her:

Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than all other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember, the things which you know that we don’t because we haven’t heard them.”

Mary responded, “I will teach you about what is hidden from you.” And she began to speak these words to them.

Fr. Sean Davidson in his book, Saint Mary Magdalene: Prophetess of Eucharistic Love says that Magdalene, along with several other early Christians, (Mary & Lazarus, Maximin, Mary Jacobe, Salome, Marcelle, Cecdonius and Sara) went into exile. The exiles went to Gaul where Magdalene participated in evangelizing the people. Then she fixed her gaze on contemplating the holy face of Jesus in an uninterrupted manner.  She went into the mountain of La Sainte Baume and lived out her final years.

This could all be just a fascinating story if we did not ask ourselves why Magdalene’s life matters to us. Christians worship the Blessed Virgin Mary, but we identify with and relate to Mary Magdalene.

Here is my take on the Magdalene mystique:

Magdalene was a sinner, but Jesus forgave her sins. Magdalene is so pleasing to Christ because in her sinfulness she simply allows herself to be saved by the Savior. This speaks to us, in that no matter what sins we have committed, we can be forgiven. Jesus forgives us when we ask. But, can we accept his forgiveness?  We must also forgive ourselves and forgive others. We are encouraged to believe that no sin is too great to be forgiven. There is hope for salvation. It’s Magdalene’s profound acceptance of Jesus’ love and her penitence that is our model.

Magdalene is the perfect role-model for a devoted follower—a person who gives their all to Christ. She was not worried about what others might think of her, she gave her love to Jesus freely, without fear of consequences. Her gratitude for his forgiveness and love was monumental. And she could see Jesus for the man he was, in addition to his being her savior. In that regard, she was the only person identified as ministering to the needs of Jesus. We must assume that the Blessed Virgin Mary also ministered to Jesus his whole life, but those instances are not named. Yet, when the Blessed Virgin is named, we can witness the deep and abiding love they had for each other.

Magdalene is the model for contemplation of Christ by giving us a model for adoration. We are to give thanks for God’s love,  do acts of reparation and ask for intercession from God for our concerns, as we continually contemplate the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Davidson explains that “When the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came upon her at Pentecost, (Magdalene) received the grace to meditate even more deeply on the Passion of Christ and the role in it of the Blessed Virgin Mary whom she had the privilege to accompany through it all.” Her life became a bitter sweet contemplation of Jesus, her vocation to love Christ in a radical way during his mortal life. She did all she could do to continue to love him, radically through prayer for the rest of her life.

Are we so jaded, so blasé  that we cannot see how great an honor it is for Magdalene to minister to Jesus? She touched Jesus in a loving way, and it was beautiful to him.  It was possible for her to serve and follow Him, but she chose to love Him, and it did something to Jesus. She did something to him—not for him.

“Our lives are precious, our time once gone, cannot return again. We are an alabaster box. Would we waste them on the Lord to simply be with Him?” (Goatley)

He was blessed and loved.  His heart is the most precious thing we know. (see Goatley) So, Jesus raised Magdalene up to the level of angels. And we are all the better for following her lead.

Resources:

Saint Mary Magdalene: Prophetess of Eucharistic Love by Fr. Sean Davidson, Ignatius Press, San Francisco,2017.

“Who Was Mary Magdalene?” from Women in the Bible at: https://bit.ly/3aOsdVO

“Who Was Mary Magdalene?” By James Carroll, Smithsonian Magazine, June 2006. at: https://bit.ly/32WUjtN

Cleansing of the demons: Luke 8: 1-3, The Bible.

At the crucifixion: Mark 15:40-41, Luke 23:49, Matthew 27:55-56, John 19:25, The Bible.

At the resurrection: See Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:1-11, Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:1-18, The Bible.

What is the Important significance behind the Alabaster Box and the ointment inside it?” by annalewis614 on January 21, 2014, from: https://bit.ly/3aMvV26

Mary Magdala and the Voice of Silence” by Carole Ward, originally printed in

November-December 2006 issue in Quest magazine, at: https://bit.ly/3xB88vK

Alabaster Box by Helen Goatley,  All4Him at: https://all4him.org/articles/alabaster-box/

“How Early Leaders Downplayed Mary Magdalene’s influence by calling her a Whore” by Sarah Pruitt, original March 1, 2019, updated: April 2, 2021 at History Stories from: https://bit.ly/3xHurjN

Lady in Waiting: Becoming God’s Best While Waiting for Mr. Right.” by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones Copyright 2005 Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.

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